Knee Deep Shag

If you haven't seen Knee Deep Shag, you're missing out on, what i think, is the best live band i've ever seen. This Kalmazoo based rock quintet has raised the bar for live performance for a local act to a level I never thought was possible and to which every Michigan act should aspire. The raw talent, energy and vocal acrobatics of singer Matthew Francis knocked me out; the mutating pitch of his sinewy voice must have traversed five octaves over the course of the set. The complex arrangements, controlled dynamics and theatrical execution of the "show" (and I mean that it it's most literal sense) left me slack jawed and so mesmerized i could barely concentrate on the content or quality of the songs. Ably supported by skilled musicians Phil Barry (guitar), Jeff Moehle(drums), Rob Cookman (keys) and Mike Fuerst (bass), knee deep shag performs an eclectic mix of funk-pop and soul originals that have garnered them several Detroit Music Awards and other well deserved, top-of-the-heap trophys over the past six years. Although completely unfamiliar with this act when i wandered into the club, knee deep shag made a lasting impression on me. i don't like to gush, but i couldn't give a higher recommendation for a live band in michigan. Honestly, a must-see.<BR><BR> Mitch Phillips - Mitch Phillips

"Michigan darlings Knee Deep Shag is a high energy quintet that play high-energy pop rock filled with Beatles like harmonies laid upon pounds of hooks. Catchy songs and fine vocal work by singer Matt Gross propel them ahead, and word is they're a great live act. Their CD, Good Disguise is a well produced collection of crisp, punchy rock n' roll" - TBA

knee deep shag live at the double door - friday nov. 12th 1999
let's be frank. when you take a band from a mid-sized town and plop them on stage in the big city, most of the time said band sounds patently mid-sized. at least for the first couple times out
Kalamazoo, Mich. - from whence knee deep shag came - is the textbook definition of mid-sized. and there was a time, frankly, when they would have sounded positively undersized in the relatively hallowed, spacious Double Door setting. no more.
after six years of concocting their odd mix of pop, prog and funk, knee deep shag are good enough to rock any casbah in any city.
the key to the band's evolution is simple: the songs are better. while there is a certain charm to cuts from their older records, this evening was sustained by numbers from their latest release, "good disguise".
fueled by the supple punch of rhythm section Mike Fuerst (tastefully judicious on the five-string bass) and drummer Jeff Moehle, singer Matthew Francis breathed Beck-esque life into "3 p.m.". as in all their best material, the changes came fast and furious, never seeming gratuitous. francis' clear, quirky vocal style seemed to cut against the grain of the rather gritty tune, but a lot of knee deep shag's success can be attributed to such symbiotic relationships.
in concert, the band are remarkably faithful to their recorded canon; most notable are the harmonies, which are damn near as tight live as on disc. moreover, the longer leash afforded keyboardist rob cookman lends a more flexible feel the band's recorded material occasionally lacks.
it's hard to pin down exactly what knee deep shag sound like; the description that comes immediately to mind is to imagine if the Ben Folds Five had been weaned on Bootsy's Rubber Band. Knowing that, it might be surprising to think the ballads carried the night. but that's exactly what happened, especially the wonderfully deliberate "by a thread". Grandiose by design, Phil Barry managed to keep it real with his alternately earthy and ethereal guitar. the highlight, though, was the vocal counterpoint that brings the song to a close. reminiscent of the penultimate moments of radiohead's "paranoid android", it's impressive they even tried this bit live, never mind the fact they pulled it off.

mitch phillips
- Craig Schmidt